He attended NC State before entering the army. After his discharge, Bones enrolled at UNC where he played another couple seasons. He played for the Washington Capitols for four seasons before retiring to become their head coach. He came out of retirement after one season at the Cap's helm to play for the Celtics. He took a job as assistant coach at Wake Forest before assuming the head duties in 1957. He later coached the ABA's Carolina squad and then became an announcer.

One of the more popular and well-liked figures on Tobacco Road, Bones suffered a stroke on May 2, 1997, and died a couple weeks later.